Do you trust me?
by Leo's gurl
Summary: As a child, Jesse was abused by his dad and Jaden was his only friend. Eleven years later, Jesse comes back but not as the kind person Jaden remembers.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_There came a knock on that cold and rainy November day causing five year old Jaden Yuki to quickly jump up. _

"_I'll get it mommy!" he called into the kitchen as he ran by. His mother, Julie, smiled and continued peeling the potatoes for supper. In a flash, Jaden ran over to the door and threw it open. His smile broadened when he came face to face with another little boy about his age with teal blue hair and emerald green eyes._

"_About time you showed up Jesse!" said Jaden placing his hands on his hips and grinning from ear to ear. The teal haired boy smiled._

"_Sorry Jay. I was...busy." said the little boy in a southern accent. Jaden smiled.  
"That's alright. Now come inside before you catch a cold." he said pulling on Jesse's over sized blue sweatshirt. Jesse allowed Jaden to lead him over to a giant fireplace where a giant green pillow was sitting in front of it. Jaden motioned for Jesse to sit and Jesse willingly obeyed. Jaden plopped down beside him and smiled. _

"_Why don't you take that sweatshirt off? The fireplace does get warm ya know." said Jaden tugging at Jesse's sleeve. _

"_No, don't!" cried Jesse in alarm and pulling his arm away. As he moved his arm, Jesse cried out in pain and quickly covered his injured arm. Jaden looked at him confused._

"_What's wrong Jesse?" he asked gently grabbing Jesse's injured arm and rolling up the long blue sleeve. Jesse whimpered as Jaden pulled the sleeve over his upper arm and Jaden gasped when he saw a deep gash running down Jesse's little arm._

"_Jesse,what happened?" he asked looking up with concern in his soft brown eyes. Jesse bowed his head and gripped the sides of his sweatshirt in his fists. Jaden sensed his friend's distress and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder._

"_Your daddy did it. Didn't he?" Jesse simply nodded his head and Jaden frowned. Looking around, his eyes landed on the living room table and his face lit up as an idea hit him. Jumping up as fast as he could, Jaden ran over to the first aid kit and grabbed it off of the table. Running back over to Jesse, Jaden knelt down in front of him and placed the first aid kit beside him. Throwing it open, Jaden looked up at a confused Jesse and smiled._

"_When I get a boo-boo, mommy always uses this magic box. It has everything you need in here." he said rooting through the first aid kit and throwing various items behind him._

_From the kitchen, Jaden's mom, heard the commotion in the living room and peeked her head in._

"_Jaden, what's going on out here?" she asked wiping her hands on her apron and walking into the living room._

"_Jesse needs the magic box." he said still throwing items behind him. Julie instantly became concerned._

"_What happened?" she asked hustling over to the young boys and kneeling beside Jesse. Jesse's eyes filled up with tears and his little body began to shake._

"_Daddy got angry again." he said in a soft voice. Julie frowned and gently grabbed Jesse's arm and winced when she saw how deep the gash was. Forcing a smile, Julie looked up at Jesse and wiped the tears from his eyes._

"_It's okay Jesse. There's no need to cry." That was all Jesse needed to hear and he finally broke down. Without thinking, Jesse wrapped his arms around Julie's neck and buried his face into her stomach. His tears stained her white apron and his whole body shook when he spook._

"_Daddy had that nasty drink again." Julie tried her best to soothe the frightened child._

"_It's okay Jesse. You're safe here." she said smoothing down his hair. Jesse hiccuped and looked up at her with his large emerald eyes._

"_You mean it?" Julie nodded._

"_Of course I do. Now why don't we get your arm patched up and we can all eat dinner." she said brushing back a few stray pieces of bangs that had fallen into Jesse's eyes. Hearing the word "dinner", Jaden's head shot up from the first aid kit._

"_Dinner?" he said turning to face his mother. Julie nodded.  
"That's right." In a flash, Jaden grabbed a thing of bandages and ran over to Jesse and his mother. Throwing the bandages on his mother's lap, Jaden looked up at her impatiently._

"_What are you waiting for mommy? Hurry up and make Jesse better so we can eat!" Julie smiled and patted her son on the head._

"_Jaden, supper can wait until Jesse is taken care of. Now why don't you go and get Mr. Ted?" she said taking the bandages and standing up. Jaden looked up at her confused._

"_Why?" _

"_Just go and get him please." she said bending over the first aid kit and pulling out a bottle of disinfectant. Jaden stared at her for a moment before making his way over to the stairs and making the ascent up the stairs. Meanwhile, Julie was pouring some of the disinfectant on a washcloth when there came a pounding on the door. Freezing, Julie wrapped her arms around Jesse and turned towards the door._

"_Who is it?" she asked innocently. _

"_It's Jimmy Anderson." came a strong masculine voice. There was also a hint of something else, drunkenness. Remaining calm, Julie scooped up Jesse in her arms and called out to Jimmy._

"_Just a moment." she said making her way over to the stairs. As she made her way up the stairs, she could feel Jesse clinging on to her for dear life._

_'What kind of father treats his son like this?' she thought to herself. As she reached the top of the stairs, she noticed Jaden just coming out of his room with a giant teddy bear in his arms. Seeing his mother with Jesse in her arms, he froze._

"_Mommy, what's going on?" he asked holding the teddy bear tight. Julie motioned for Jaden to be quiet and ushered Jaden back into his bedroom. Setting Jesse down on the bed, she walked towards the door.  
"Jaden, I need you to keep an eye on Jesse while I go and talk to his daddy." Jaden nodded his head._

"_Alright mommy." With those words, Julie shut the door behind her and leaving Jesse and Jaden alone in the darkened room. As Jaden listened to his mother's footsteps disappear down the steps, he looked over at the bed where Jesse was now curled up into a little ball with his hands covering his ears. Walking over to him, Jaden crawled up onto the bed and laid down behind him. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Jesse's waist and buried his face in his back._

"_It's okay Jesse. I'm right here." Jesse shifted in Jaden's arms and rolled over to face him._

"_Jaden, I'm so scared." he said sniffling. Jaden smiled._

"_Don't worry Jess. I won't let anything happen to you." he said ruffling Jesse's hair. Jesse looked up at him with innocent eyes._

"_You mean it?" Jaden nodded._

"_Of course I do." Jesse smiled. _

"_Thanks Jaden. You're the best."_

_End Flashback_

Jaden was snapped out of his daze when Syrus waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hello, earth to Jaden." Jaden blinked.

""Hmm, what did you say Sy?" he asked looking up at his friend.

"I said are you coming to check out the new transfer students?" Jaden shrugged.

"I don't know Sy. I'm kind of enjoying the view." he said tucking his arms under his head and staring up at the sky. Syrus sighed.

"You're thinking about Jesse again. Aren't you?" he asked taking a seat beside his friend. Jaden nodded.

"I can't believe it's been eleven years since he and his father moved out of town."

"Didn't you say his father was a drunk?" asked Syrus bringing his knees up and placing his chin on top of his knees. Jaden nodded.

"Yeah, his father was a major alcoholic and it seemed that every time Jesse came over he had black and blue marks all over his body." Syrus shuddered.

"How can someone do that to a little kid?" Jaden frowned.  
"I don't know but the night he moved, Jesse gave me this." said Jaden fingering a necklace with a Winged Kuriboh on it.

"I always wondered where you got that." Jaden smiled.

"Yeah, Jesse knew that I always liked that card so he gave me a necklace with it, on my fifth birthday."

"So what did you get him?" Again, Jaden smiled.

"I got him a necklace with a Ruby Carbuncle on it."

"Ruby Carbuncle?"

"It was a duel monster that Jesse always wanted."

"So what do you think happened to him?" Jaden clenched his fists and frowned.

"I honestly don't know. He'd be lucky if he's still alive." A moment of silence ensued and neither student spoke. After about five minutes of silence, Syrus stood up and brushed his pants off.  
"Well, I'm going to the assembly. I'll save you a seat in case you decide to join us." Jaden closed his eyes and waved him off. Syrus shook his head and make his way to the stairs. Once Jaden could no longer hear his friend's footsteps, he opened his eyes and slowly sat up. Letting the wind tussle his hair, Jaden absentmindedly started thumbing the Winged Kuriboh on his necklace. Staring at the setting sun, Jaden felt his eyes go misty.  
'Thanks Jaden. You're the best.' Those words still rang through Jaden's ears and he couldn't help but feel a bit angry with himself.

'Jesse.' he thought sadly. As he watched a passing cloud go by, Jaden noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he noticed Winged Kuriboh floating beside him.

"Hey there pal." said Jaden smiling.

"Kuri..."it said frowning.

"I'm fine pal." Winged Kuriboh didn't seemed convinced and Jaden smiled.

"No really. I'm fine." Suddenly, more movement came from the stairs and both Jaden and Winged Kuriboh turned to look. At first, there appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary but then a small violet cat like creature appeared. It had a red ball on the end of its tail and Jaden's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the duel spirit.

"Ruby Carbuncle?" he said in surprise. Ruby Carbuncle looked over at him and tilted his head.

"Ruby?" Not wanting to frighten the duel spirit, Jaden slowly placed his hand in front of him and wiggled his fingers.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you." he said soothingly. Ruby Carbuncle eyed him wearily for a moment before his attention was drawn to Winged Kuriboh. Smiling, Ruby Carbuncle walked over to Jaden and rubbed against his leg.  
"Ruby." he said happily. Jaden smiled and patted him on the head.

"So, do you belong to anybody?" Ruby looked up at him. As if to answer Jaden's question, a voice echoed onto the roof.

"Ruby, where are you?" came a cold masculine voice. Ruby let out a small whimper and ran behind Jaden. Jaden looked back at the duel spirit in surprise.

"What's wrong Ruby?"

"Ruby." said the little cat scared. Jaden went to comfort the little duel spirit but stopped when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Turning his head, Jaden watched a boy of about sixteen with eerily familiar teal hair and emerald eyes entered the roof. Jaden's eyes widened as he recognized the person he had befriended eleven years ago.  
"Jesse?"

To be continued...

A/N: I own nothing of Yu-Gi-Oh GX. This is just a story I thought would be cute okay?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Jesse?" said Jaden staring at the figure who had just entered the roof. The stranger looked over at him confused.

"Jesse? Who's Jesse?" he asked in the same southern accent that Jaden remembered.

"It is you!" cried Jaden happily. He quickly stood up and ran over to Jesse. Stopping in front of him, Jaden smiled.

"Where have you been all these years?" he asked excitedly. Jesse shook his head.

"Look, I have no idea what you're talkin' about. I don't even know you." he said trying to push past Jaden. But Jaden stood his ground.

"Come on, it's me, Jaden." he said placing his hands in front of his chest. For a moment, Jesse's eyes seemed to flicker in recognition before it was quickly replaced with a cold stare.

"Sorry, but I've never met a Jaden." he said pushing past Jaden and looking around.

"But Jesse..." Jesse turned around and glared at him.

"Why do you keep calling me that? My name is Johan not Jesse!" he said clenching his fists. Jaden looked at him confused.

"But...you look exactly like him." Johan shook his head.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you but I'm not Jesse...not anymore." he whispered the last part to himself and bowed his head.

"Oh." said Jaden disappointed. The two fell silent and the silence was broken when Ruby Carbuncle peered from behind Jaden and whimpered in fear. Jesse noticed this and frowned.

"There you are Ruby come on out!" he said in a cold voice that made Jaden shiver. Ruby slowly appeared behind Jaden and his whole body began to shake. Frowning, Jesse walked over to him and grabbed him by the back of the neck.

"How many times have I told you not to run away!" he said shaking the poor duel spirit. Jaden was horrified.

"Jesse, stop it!" he cried catching Jesse's elbow. As he grabbed Jesse's elbow, Jaden felt Jesse's muscles tighten and before Jaden knew it, he was lying on the ground with a red cheek. Looking up, Jaden saw Jesse standing over him with his fist still cocked but a look of confusion and surprise were etched in his fine features.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry Jay!" he said kneeling down beside him and placing a hand on Jaden's back. Jaden placed a hand on the back of his head and shook his head.

"Man Jess. You pack quite a punch." he said smiling. Jesse returned the smile.

"Yeah, that's what my..."Jesse's smile quickly vanished and he pulled away from Jaden as if he had just touched poison. Shaking his head, Jesse stood up and backed away.

"I...gotta go!" he said shakily. Before Jaden could do anything, Jesse turned around and ran down the steps. Jaden slowly sat up and looked towards the stairs where Jesse had disappeared down.  
"Jesse." he said softly. Rubbing his sore cheek, Jaden slowly stood up and sighed. Suddenly, something glittered out of the corner of his eye and Jaden looked down. There shining in the sun's dying light, was a necklace with a Ruby Carbuncle on it. Jaden gasped and slowly reached for the necklace with shaking fingers. Picking the necklace up, Jaden held it in front of him and watched as it twirled around in the cool breeze. As Jaden watched the necklace twirl around, his heart began to beat faster and faster.

"I knew it was him." said Jaden with a smile on his face. Slowly however, that smile slowly faded away as Jaden realized just how much his friend had changed. Never before had Jaden seen Jesse hurt another living thing. In fact, Jaden had never seen Jesse get angry before which was quite odd considering the way his father had treated him. Gingerly touching his now swollen cheek, Jaden had a greater question on his mind. What had caused the sweet little Jesse that he remembered to become a cold and heartless person he just met. Shaking his head, Jaden frowned.

"No, there is no way that Jesse could have changed." Suddenly, Jaden remembered something that Jesse had said to him right after he punched him.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry Jay!"

"Jay!" That was it. There were only two people who called him by that nickname and that was Syrus and Jesse. Smiling, Jaden clenched the necklace in his fist and turned to Winged Kuriboh.

"I knew it! I knew that Jesse hadn't forgotten!" Winged Kuriboh looked at him confused.

"Kuri?" Jaden nodded.

"Uh-huh. I know it's him. I just know it!" he said looking down at the necklace and smiling softly.

Meanwhile, Jesse had made it down to the bottom of the stairs and was leaning against the wall to catch his breath when a searing pain ripped through his upper arm. Crying out in pain, Jesse gripped his arm and clenched his teeth. Sliding down into a sitting position, Jesse leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Not again." he said through pain clenched teeth. Looking down at his arm, Jesse slowly rolled up his long white sleeve and stopped as he pulled it over a familiar scar. Gently tracing the obviously infected wound with his pointer finger, Jesse frowned as the memory of that painful night made its way to the surface of Jesse's mind.

_Flashback_

_"Where are ya boy?" hiccuped a very drunk Jimmy Anderson. Jesse cried out in fear and crawled further under his bed. His whole body was shaking in fear and he grasped his beat up bunny tighter. He could hear his father's footsteps down the hall and he prayed. Hearing the footsteps coming closer and closer, Jesse closed his eyes and covered his head. Suddenly, the door to Jesse's room went crashing into the wall. Jesse jumped and crawled further under the bed. As he was doing this, he saw his father's boots appear in his line of vision. Before Jesse knew it, he was being grabbed by his arm and dragged out from under the bed. As he was being pulled out, his head hit the metal frame and Jesse was left dazed and confused. After his father pulled him out from under the bed, Jesse was thrown onto his filthy matress and held down by his father's strong arms._

_"How many times have I told you to stay away from that Jaden brat?!" By now, Jesse's father was so close that Jesse could smell the alchohol on his breath. Trying to keep his tears at bay, Jesse took a deep breath and tried to remain calm._

_"But daddy...he's my best friend." SLAP! Before,Jesse realized what had happened, his back was now against the wall and his lip was dripping blood. Gingerly touching his now split lip, Jesse looked up at his father with fear filled eyes. His father was breathing heavily, his nostrils were flaring and rage burned in his eyes._

_"Best friends make you weak Jesse! Do you understand?" Jesse looked up at him sadly._

_"Yes daddy but Jaden's a good best friend." This time, the glass bottle that Jimmy had been holding went crashing into the wall sending shards of glass sailing everywhere. Jesse cried out in pain as a piece of glass embedded itself deep into his skin. Covering his injured arm, Jesse looked up at Jimmy with tear-stained cheeks._

_"Now, what do best friends make you?" he asked grabbing Jesse by his collar. Jesse lowered his gaze.  
"They make you weak." he said quivering in fear and sadness. Jimmy seemed content with this answer and released his son._

_"Just remember that and you'll be always be strong."_

_End Flashback_

"Best friends make you weak." said Jesse in a trance like state. Bringing his knees up to his chest and placing his chin on his knees, Jesse buried his face in his knees and did something he hadn't done in a long time. He broke down and cried. As the obelisk blue student remembered a part of his troubling past, a ghostly figure appeared behind him. A smile appeared on its face and its two colored eyes glared in content.

'Soon Jaden, revenge will be mine.'

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Pain. Deep agonizing pain. That was how Jesse Anderson felt right now. Ever since the night his dad had thrown that glass bottle and embedded a piece of glass in his arm. Slowly standing up, Jesse clutched at his arm and made his way towards the beach. For some odd reason, Jesse had the urge to see the moon rising up from the waves and he didn't care how much pain he was in. He was going to see the moonrise. As he staggered forward, Ruby Carbuncle appeared beside him and looked up at him concerned.

"Ruby?" Jesse looked down at him and frowned.

"Of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" he said angerly. Ruby flinched and bowed his head. Shaking his head, Jesse walked by the duel spirit and stopped when a searing pain ripped up his arm.

"Darn it!" he cried sinking to one knee and holding his arm closer. Ruby noticed this and took a step forward.

"Don't you come near me!" cried Jesse stopping Ruby in mid-step. Before Ruby could move, Jesse quickly stood up and ran towards the beach. Ruby watched in concerned as he watched his master disappear. He knew that it wasn't Jesse's fault that he was acting this way. In fact, Jesse had always been so kind to him and the other gem beasts until _she_ came along. Frowning, Ruby knew that his master was in no condition to be out this late and knew he had to find someone to help. Thinking of the only person who could see him, Ruby turned towards the Slifer Red dorms and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Meanwhile, Jaden was just walking up the stairs of the Slifer Red dorm when Winged Kuriboh appeared beside him.

"Hey there pal. What's up?" he asked noticing the worried look Winged Kuriboh had on his face.

"Kuri." he said motioning his head towards the beach. Jaden smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry pal. I don't have time to go to the beach." he said opening the door and kicking his shoes off at the front door. Winged Kuriboh shook his head and motioned again towards the beach.

"Listen, I promise that I'll take you to the beach another night but right now I have more important things to worry about." Jaden said pulling out Jesse's Ruby Carbuncle necklace and holding it up into the light. Sighing, Winged Kuriboh bowed his head and disappeared leaving Jaden alone with his thoughts. As Jaden climbed the steps to go to his room, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Looking down the stairs, Jaden didn't notice anything out of the ordinary and made his way to his room. As Jaden entered bedroom, a gust of cold wind engulfed him causing him to shudder. Turning towards the window, Jaden gasped when he saw Ruby Carbuncle standing there with wide eyes.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?" asked Jaden walking over to the duel spirit and kneeling in front of him.

"Ruby!" he said motioning towards the beach with his head. Jaden looked out the window confused.

"Is there something on the beach you want to show me?" Ruby pawed at Jaden's jacket and Jesse's necklace fell to the floor. Jaden looked down at the necklace and realization slowly dawned on him as he picked it up.

"It's Jesse isn't it?" he asked standing up and looking back towards the beach. Ruby nodded his head and disappeared out the window.  
"Hey wait!" cried Jaden running back downstairs and making his way towards the front door.

By this time, Jesse had finally made it to the beach and was sitting underneath a huge palm tree. Leaning against the trunk, Jesse closed his eyes and let the tropical breeze ruffle his hair. Suddenly, Jesse heard someone take a seat next to him and he frowned.

"What do you want?" he asked without opening his eyes. He knew that it was Yubel and he didn't want anything to do with her. Beside him, Yubel smiled.

"Why Jesse, I'm hurt." Jesse growled and opened his eyes. Glaring at Yubel, Jesse crossed his arms in front of his chest and made it obvious that he didn't want her anywhere near him. Apparently Yubel seemed amused by his actions and smiled.

"Now why do you have to look at me like that? I didn't do anything to you." Jesse clenched his fist.

"Oh really. Then do you mind telling me why my arm is suddenly hurtin' me like crazy?" Yubel smiled.

"Let's just say that I didn't like your behavior earlier...with Jaden." Jesse's head perked up at the mention of Jaden's name and he frowned.

"You're a real piece of work do you know that? I can't even talk to the guy I used to call best friend."  
"Come on Jesse. You knew that you weren't going to be allowed to speak to him ever again. That was part of our little _agreement_." Jesse shook his head and spit on the ground.

"Agreement? More like I'm your slave." Yubel smiled.

"True. But you brought it upon yourself when you became friends with that traitor Jaden."

"Well, I've been your slave long enough Yubel. I've had enough of you and don't want to see you anymore." Jesse stood up and brushed the sand off of his pants. Walking away, Jesse placed a hand up in the air and gave a wave.

"See ya around Yubel." A smile formed on Yubel's face and her eyes began to glow. Suddenly, Jesse cried out in pain and clutched at his arm.

"Not again!" he said falling on his knees and gripping his arm.

"I guess you still have a lot to learn about power Jesse." Yubel's eyes grew brighter and the pain in Jesse's arm became unbearable. Jesse screamed out in pain and collapsed in the sand. Chuckling, Yubel stood up and walked over to the fallen figure.

"Come now Jesse. Why do you do this to yourself when you know that I can make your life a living nightmare. That night your dad threw that bottle at you and you got that glass embedded in your arm? Well, let's just say that at that presice moment, a small part of me entered your body and now that small piece can now control you." Jesse glared up at her. His face was deathly pale and covered in sweat. His whole body began to shake uncontrollably and Jesse knew that at any second now, he would faint.

"I swear Yubel, that you will pay for this." Yubel chuckled.

"Yeah well, first you have to have the energy to stand first." Jesse went to say something but due to the pain, passed out instead. As his body slumped to the ground, Yubel shook her head in disappointment.

"Such a shame that I have to waste my powers on such a weakling just so I can have my revenge on Jaden." Suddenly, Yubel heard the sound of footsteps in the sand and turned around. Squinting, Yubel frowned when she saw Jaden heading her way with Winged Kuriboh and Ruby Carbuncle at his heels. Looking back down at Jesse, Yubel shook her head.

"I'll deal with you later." and with those words, Yubel disappered leaving Jesse alone with his pain and suffering.

When Jaden saw Jesse's lifeless body lying on the beach, his blood ran cold.

"Jesse!" he cried running over to the falling figure. Kneeling beside him, Jaden placed a hand on Jesse's shoulder and gently shook him.

"Come on pal, wake up." Jesse groaned in pain but didn't wake up. Looking around, Jaden noticed Winged Kuriboh and Ruby Carbuncle looking down at Jesse with worry and concern. Jaden forced a smile and tried to reassure the worried spirits.

"Don't worry guys. Jesse will be alright. I promise." Ruby looked over at Winged Kuriboh, who nodded his head to show that Jaden spoke the truth. Smiling, Ruby looked up at Jaden and bowed.

"Ruby." Jaden smiled.

"No problem, now let's get Jesse to a better place." Gently grabbing Jesse by his shoulders, Jaden flipped him over and slowly sat him up. Placing his shoulder under Jesse's arm, Jaden wrapped his other arm around Jesse's waist and lifted him up. As Jaden brought Jesse up, he gave a small "oomph" as Jesse's limp body caught him off balance. Quickly regaining his balance, Jaden looked at the duel spirits, who appeared on Jesse's shoulders.

"Alright you guys, let's get moving." As Jaden made his way back to the Slifer Red dorms, Yubel appeared behind some bushes and smiled.

"Excellent, everything is going according to plan. Pretty soon, Jesse will serve his purpose and I can finally get rid of him." Yubel's laughter filled the night sky and as the ocean fog rolled in, Yubel disappeared leaving a sense of death and forboding.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

_"Come on Jesse! You're slower than an upside down turtle!" cried Jaden back to a very tired Jesse. Sweat was rolling down his face and his face was a bright red. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Jesse called out to Jaden._

_"Jaden, please slow down..." Jaden looked back at Jesse and smiled._

_"What's the matter Jess? Don't tell me you can't keep up." Jesse frowned._

_"It's not that, it's just that..." But before Jesse could finish his sentence, he tripped over a rock and went crashing to the ground. Stopping in mid-jog, Jaden turned around and his face filled with instant concern._

_"Jesse!" he cried running over to his fallen friend and kneeling beside him._

_"Jesse, are you alright?" he asked placing both hands on Jesse's shoulders and gently lifting him up. Jesse shook his head and looked up at Jaden with a smile on his face._

_"I'm alright. It's only the ground." Jaden chuckled and patted Jesse on the back._

_"You're okay kid. You're okay." Jesse chuckled and with Jaden's help managed to stand up. Brushing the dust off of his pants, Jesse looked up ahead and tilted his head._

_"Hey Jaden, what's that?" he asked pointing to a white blob on the wooded path. Jaden followed Jesse's gaze and he too tilted his head._

_"I don't know. Maybe it's a monster!" cried Jaden excitedly. Jesse gasped and gripped Jaden's arm._

_"Monsters are scary. I say we go back to your house." the little tot pleaded. Jaden shook his head._

_"Are you kiddin' me? We might have made the greatest discovery since ice cream and you wanna go home?!" Jesse gulped and peered over Jaden's shoulder at the mysterious blob. Looking back up at Jaden, Jesse sighed._

_"Alright, but you go first." Jaden looked at him confused._

_"Why?"_

_"So the monster eats you first." Jesse said grinning wickedly. Jaden gulped but quickly regained his composure._

_"Fine, I'll be leader." he said starting to make his way over to the monster. Not wanting to be left behind, Jesse ran behind Jaden and stayed as close to him as possible. As the two kids slowly approached the mysterious blob, Jaden bent down as picked up a stick._

_"What's that for?" asked Jesse curiously. Jaden looked back at him and smiled._

_"Protection, duh." he said waving the stick around to prove his point. Jesse nodded his head in approval and gulped as they got closer to the monster._

_Suddenly, Jaden stopped causing Jesse to go crashing into him. Falling backwards, Jesse grabbed his nose and fell on his butt._

_"Oww! Jaden, why'd you stop?" Jaden was silent a moment before he slowly turned around with a smile on his face._

_"Umm, are you feeling alright Jay?" he asked slowly standing up. Suddenly, Jaden burst into a laughing fit causing Jesse to jump._

_"I can't believe...we thought...that...that thing was a monster!" he said bringing his hands up to his mouth in an attempt to control his laughing. Wanting to see what was so hilrous, Jesse pushed past Jaden and for the first time ever, got a good look at the supposed "monster."_

_What Jesse and Jaden thought was a monster turned out to be nothing more than a white fluffly cat sleeping in the middle of the wooden path. Seeing the cat, Jesse's eyes lit up and a smile formed on his lips._

_"It's a kitty!' he cried starting to run over to the sleeping cat. Regaining his composure, Jaden called out a word of warning to the excited tot._

_"Shh, we don't wanna wake him up. Grumpy kitties are no fun." Ignoring Jaden's warning, Jesse ran over to the cat and bent down to pick him up. Just as he was about to touch the snow white fur, the cat awoke with a start and with a startled cry lashed out at Jesse. Crying out in both surprise and pain, Jesse fell backward and landed on his butt. Jaden quickly ran over to him and gave him a look of concern._

_"Jesse, are you alright?" Jesse, who was holding his hand where the cat had scratched him, looked up at Jaden with tear filled eyes._

_"Am I really that scary?" Jaden looked at him surprised._

_"You scary? That's a laugh in a half." When Jesse started sniffiling, Jaden placed a comforting hand on Jesse's shoulder._

_"Come on Jess, cheer up." Jesse remained silent and Jaden looked at him concerned._

_"You wanna talk about it?"_

_"I don't wanna be scary Jay. I don't want to be like..." Jesse's voice trailed off and Jaden knew that he was thinking about his father. Smiling, Jaden wrapped an arm around Jesse's shoulder._

_"Jesse, you'll never be like your daddy. I just know it." Jesse looked up at him and smiled._

_"I didn't know you could see into the future." Jaden grinned._

_"I can't. But I think my mommy can." Jesse raised an eyebrow._

_"Why do you say that?"_

_"Because everytime I try to steal some cookies from the cookie jar, she is always right there waiting for me. It stinks." Jesse chuckled and laid a hand on Jaden's shoulder._

_"I don't think it's the future she sees. It's your stomach that gives you away." Jaden tilted his head in confusion._

_"What do you mean?" As if to answer Jaden's question for him, Jaden's stomach began to growl. Both Jesse and Jaden looked down at Jaden's stomach before looking up at each other with huge smiles on their faces._

_"See what I mean?" Jaden nodded his head._

_"Now I do. I guess thinking about those cookies kinda made me hungry."  
"You're always hungry." This got a chuckle from Jaden and pretty soon Jesse too had joined in. As their laughter filled the wooded path, the two youngsters always knew in their hearts that they would be best friends forever. Or so they thought._

End Flashback

"Jaden." Hearing his name, Jaden jumped in his seat and quickly opened his eyes. Looking around, he realized that he was back at the Slifer Red Dorms and in his room. But, he wasn't alone. As his attention landed on his bed, he watched as his old friend tossed and turned in his nightmare filled sleep. Standing up, Jaden walked over to him and knelt down beside the bed. Getting a closer look at his friend, Jaden noticed that his eyes were shut tight and his fists were clenching the sheets of the bed as if trying to relieve himself of some unknown pain. Again, Jesse called out to him in his sleep.

"Jaden. Jaden where are you?" he cried tossing his head back and forth on the pillow. Jaden's heart skipped a beat.

'So, he does remember me.' he thought happily. Smiling, Jaden took one of Jesse's hands in his own and whispered in Jesse's ear.

"I'm right here pal." As if hearing Jaden's voice, Jesse seemed to relax and a smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Friend." he whispered before falling into a deep sleep. Jaden chuckled and behind him, Ruby and Winged Kuriboh appeared with a smile on their faces.

"Ruby." said the duel spirit jumping on the bed and laying down on Jesse's chest. Jaden smiled and patted her on the head.

"It's okay girl. Jesse is going to be a-ok." Or so he thought...

To be continued...

A/N: Sorry about the lateness of this chapter. Also, sorry about calling Ruby a guy. For some reason, I always thought that she was a boy. So apologies all around! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_She _was near. Even in his sleep, Jesse could feel Yubel's presence and it caused his body to shake in fear. Slowly opening his eyes, Jesse half expected to find a pair of different colored eyes staring back at him but was surprised to find himself staring at some kind of bunk bed.

"What in the world?" he said softly. Slowly sitting up, Jesse shook his head as a dizzy spell passed over him. As he shook his head, a damp washcloth fell onto his lap. Looking down at the cloth, it took Jesse a moment to realize that he wasn't the only one in the room. Hearing a soft snore coming from his right, Jesse turned his head and couldn't help but gasp in surprise when he saw Jaden sitting beside the bed fast asleep. His head was bowed in deep sleep and Jesse couldn't help but smile when he noticed Winged Kuriboh and Ruby Carbuncle also sound asleep on Jaden's lap. Smiling at the sight, Jesse went to place his feel on the floor when a searing pain consumed his arm. Crying out in pain, Jesse grabbed his throbbing arm and fell back into the pillows.

Jaden was startled out of his light slumber by the sound of Jesse's cry of pain. Quickly opening his eyes, Jaden's attention was immediately drawn to the bed where Jesse was resting. Instead of finding Jesse sound asleep, Jaden was horrified to see Jesse curled up in a ball clutching at his arm. Just seeing Jesse in that position reminded Jaden of that horrible night when Jesse's dad had come to take Jesse away forever.

"Jesse!" Jaden cried quickly standing up and sending the two sleeping duel spirits crashing to the floor. Now, normally Jaden would have apologized to the spirits but his only concern at this point was Jesse. Kneeling beside his friend, Jaden placed a comforting hand on Jesse's shoulder and tried to calm him down.

"Come on Jess! What's wrong pal?" his voice filled with concern. For a moment, Jesse seemed to have not heard Jaden's question but after a moment of agonizing silence, Jesse slowly opened up his emerald green eyes and forced a weak smile.

"Even...even after all this time...you...you still call me pal." Jaden smiled.

"Of course I can. You'll always be my friend no matter what." Jesse gave him a confused look.

"No matter what?" Jaden nodded and placed a hand on top of Jesse's. Looking at Jesse, Jaden smiled.

"No matter what." Jesse studied him for a moment before a smile slowly spread across his face. But that smile quickly vanished as another wave of pain shot up his arm. Crying out in pain, Jesse clutched his arm tighter and whimpered in pain. Jaden became instantly concerned.

"Jesse, what's wrong?" he asked, his brown eyes as wide as saucers. Jesse let out another cry of pain and that's when Jaden finally noticed Jesse's arm. Reacting quickly, Jaden gently pushed away Jesse's good arm and gently held his bad arm as he slowly began to roll up Jesse's sleeve. Just as he was about to discover Jesse's scar, Jesse cried out in alarm and quickly rolled over so that his back was now facing Jaden.

"Leave...leave my arm alone!" Jesse cried burying his face in the pillow. Jaden looked at him confused.

"Why? Is it broken or something?" Jesse shook his head.

"It's not that. It's just that..." But before Jesse could finish his sentence a wave of pain, more intense than the first, caused Jesse to bolt straight up in bed and due to the pain, pass out and fall forward into Jaden's arms.

"Jesse!" cried Jaden cradling his friend's lifeless body in his arms. Positioning himself so that he was behind Jesse, Jaden gently positioned Jesse so that his upper part of his body was in Jaden's arms and Jesse's head was lying on Jaden's shoulder.

"Come on Jesse. You're freaking me out here." he said gently giving Jesse a light tap on the cheek in order to try and revive his unconscious friend. When Jesse didn't even flinch, Jaden grew even more concerned. Looking down at Jesse's arm, Jaden decided to examine the arm since he was now unconscious.  
Continuing where he left off, Jaden managed to roll up Jesse's sleeve and for the first time that night, he managed to get a good look at Jesse's arm. Seeing the sickening color of the scar, Jaden couldn't help but gasp in shock and surprise. Beside him, both Winged Kuriboh and Ruby Carbuncle also let out a cry of surprise. Not knowing what to do, Jaden felt tears starting to form in his eyes. His friend was in so much pain and there was nothing Jaden could do to ease his friend's suffering. Looking at the duel spirits beside him, Jaden gave them a pleading look.

"I...I don't know what...to do." he said with tear filled eyes. The duel spirits looked over at him and they too had a sad expression on their faces. Placing his arms on the bed, Jaden buried his head in his arms, gripped the sheets in his fists, and felt the tears falling from his face.  
"What do I do? I feel so helpless." Ruby and Winged Kuriboh both looked at each other and they too bowed their heads.

"Ruby..."

"Kuri..."

Suddenly, the light in the room began to flicker causing Jaden to lift up his head and look around the room.  
"What in the world?" he said quickly wiping the tears from his eyes and slowly standing up. Staring up at the light, Jaden watched as it continued to flicker a moment longer before it completely went out. Then, out of nowhere, a cold chill started to fill the room causing Jaden to shudder and the two duel spirits to move closer to each other for warmth. Turning his attention back to Jesse, Jaden noticed that he too was being affected by the cold and quickly covered him back up with the light blue blanket. As he was doing this, an eerie laughter filled the air causing a shiver to run down Jaden's spine.

'That laugh...it couldn't be.' he thought to himself. Slowly turning around, Jaden stood in front of Jesse in a protective manner and watched as a shadowy figure began to appear out of nowhere. As figure became more solid and visible, Jaden felt his blood run cold as he recognized those hate filled eyes.

"Yubel..."

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Hearing her name, the duel spirit looked over at Jaden and smirked. "Well well well, so you do remember me. That's a surprise." she chuckled. Jaden glared at her and kept his protective stance in front of Jesse.

"Yeah well you want another surprise? Here's one...get out." he muttered darkly. Yubel blinked in surprise. Sure, she had expected Jaden to be not happy to see her but to tell her to get out was quite a surprise in deed. Shaking her head at the thought, Yubel crossed her arms in front of her chest and smirked.

"Now Jaden that's no way to treat your best friend is it?" Jaden's eyes narrowed.

"We're not best friends...not anymore Yubel." It was true. Yubel had never really been his best friend and the only reason he had used her in the first place was to try and fill that empty hole in his heart that Jesse had made when he moved away. Shaking his head at the thought, Jaden shook his head to try and shake away the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. There was no reason to cry any more because Jesse had come back and even though he was different, he was still back and that was all that mattered.

As if reading Jaden's mind, Yubel couldn't help but smirk.

"Oh, I see what's going on here now. Now that Jesse is back you're going to pretend that we were never friends aren't you?" Jaden felt his blood run cold when he heard Yubel say Jesse's name. How did she know about Jesse? He had moved away way before Yubel came into the picture so how could she have possibly known about him?

"How do you know Jesse?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the duel spirit before him. Yubel smirked and turned her gaze towards the sleeping Jesse. It was obvious that his rest was anything but peaceful as his head tossed back and forth angrily on the pillow and his face was covered in a sheen of sweat. Yubel couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Jesse in so much pain and she knew that it was all her doing.

Turning her attention back to Jaden then, Yubel looked at him innocently and smiled. "Why…how can I not know about Jesse? After all, he was my best pawn yet." Jaden raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Pawn? What are you talking about Yubel?" he asked not liking the look she had given Jesse a few moments ago and he had a feeling that she was the reason for his friend's current condition. On his shoulders, Winged Kuriboh and Ruby Carbuncle were eyeing the Yubel suspiciously but when she heard her master whimpering in fear and pain on the bed, Ruby looked back at him and let out a small cry of concern.

"Ruby!" she cried leaping off of Jaden's shoulder with Winged Kuriboh right behind her. Jumping up onto the bed, Ruby let out a small whimper of concern when she saw how much pain her master seemed to be in and she gently laid down on his chest and nuzzled his cheek lovingly even though she knew he wouldn't be able to feel it. Behind her, Winged Kuriboh looked sad as well seeing his new friends in so much pain and so he did the only thing he could do to comfort the little duel spirit and that was drape one of his wings around her shoulder.

As Jaden watched the little scene, he couldn't help but smile before he slowly turned around and frowned at Yubel.

"Now…I'll ask again, what do you mean Jesse is your 'best pawn yet?'" Yubel chuckled at this and ran a hand through her hair as if disinterested by the conversation.

"Let's just put it this way Jaden…just because you and Jesse were friends a long time ago does not give you the excuse to forget about me." Jaden frowned.  
"What the heck are you talking about Yubel? Jesse has nothing to do with this!" Yubel's eyes narrowed and a cold glare spread across her otherwise emotionless features.

"Once again Jaden, you choose your human friends over me. Do you have any idea what it was like to be in your deck and have you not use me because Jesse was afraid of me? You would always send me to the graveyard when you could just so you didn't have to play me now do remember?" For a moment, Jaden simply stared at her in confusion before slowly…things finally started making sense. Of course, when Jaden and Jesse always dueled one another, Jaden would avoid playing Yubel at all costs because he knew that Jesse was always afraid of that card for some reason.

Shaking his head at the thought, Jaden clenched his fists then as a thought occurred to him.

"So…you figured that since Jesse was the reason I never played you, you decided that you'd have your revenge on the one person who got between us." Yubel smirked when Jaden finally figured it out.

"You always were the clever one Jaden. Unlike your friend over there who was always getting between us." she said raising an arm and pointing towards Jesse. Jaden's eyes narrowed and his protective stance remained firm.

"Leave him alone Yubel. You cannot punish Jesse for my choices. If you have a problem then take it out on me and leave Jesse out of this." Yubel looked over at him amused.  
"Leave Jesse out of this? I don't think so…after all, he's going to be the key to my revenge." Jaden frowned at this.  
"What do you mean Yubel?" Yubel looked over at Jaden for a moment and couldn't help but smirk before turning her attention back to Jesse. Slowly, her eyes started to glow a deep orange and a strange orange glow started to form around Jesse. Winged Kuriboh and Ruby Carbuncle cried out in surprise when they saw the glow and both duel spirits hopped off of the bed as quick as they could. No sooner had they landed safely on the floor did Jesse slowly open his eyes and sit up from where he was laying.

Noticing his friend was awake, a broad smile spread across Jaden's face and he happily ran over to the other male.

"Jesse, you're awake!" he cried happily kneeling beside the bed and looking up at Jesse. However, when Jesse slowly turned to face him, Jaden could feel the smile on his face slowly start to disappear when he noticed that something was terribly wrong. Jesse's usually soft green eyes that were always filled with innocence and happiness were now dull and lifeless.

"Je…Jesse?" Jaden asked slowly reaching out to place a hand on Jesse's shoulder when the teal-haired boy slowly began to stand up. It appeared to Jaden that his friend was in some kind of trance and his suspicions were proven correct when Jesse stood up and slowly started to make his way towards Yubel. Eyes widening in shock, Jaden quickly reached out and grabbed his friend's arm.

"Jesse, what are you doing?!" he cried in alarm. Stopping when he felt the hand wrap around his arm, Jesse slowly turned his head and frowned slightly at the Slifer red student.

"My master needs me." he said with no emotion in his voice at all which caused a small shiver to run down Jaden's spine.

"Master?" From where she was standing, Yubel smirked and nodded her head.

"That's right Jesse. Come to me." she said slowly reaching out a hand towards the boy. Nodding his head, Jesse managed to yank his arm out of Jaden's grasp and reached out and took Yubel's extended hand in his.  
"Master." Jesse said softly as Yubel smiled and pulled the dazed boy towards her. Once he was in her reach, Yubel wrapped her arms around Jesse's waist and rested her head on Jesse's shoulder. Looking over at Jaden then who had a mixture of confusion and anger written on his fine features, Yubel smirked as she held Jesse close.

"How does it feel Jaden? To know that the one person you care about most in the entire world, is under my complete control." Jaden's eyes narrowed in rage and he was clenching his fists to tight that the blood was starting to drip onto the floor in little droplets.  
"Get…away from him." he said coldly. Yubel smirked and slowly reached up with one of her hands and began to tenderly caress Jesse's cheek enjoying the reaction on Jaden's face as she did this.

"It's such a pity really. All this poor boy wanted was his best friend just like me and just like me…you left him alone." she said softly, as if feeling some sort of pity for Jesse. Jaden's eyes narrowed at this and he shook his head in disagreement.

"I never left him alone Yubel. He has been in my heart since the day he moved away and that is where he will always be no matter how far we are apart." Yubel frowned at this and she pulled back the hand that was caressing Jesse's cheek.

"Oh really? So…does that go for when he's dead as well?" she asked with a wicked smirk. Jaden's eyes narrowed to slits.

"What are you talking about Yubel?" Yubel smirked and shook her head.  
"Now I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise Jaden. Now…let's get down to business. I know that there is room in your heart for only one of us Jaden and tonight, you're going to have to choose which one of us it is." Jaden scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Please, it's not even a hard decision. I'd pick Jesse over you any day Yubel." Yubel smirked at this and shook her head.

"I had a feeling that you'd say something like that Jaden and I must admit that I'm sorry to hear that." Jaden raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
"Oh? And why is that?" As if to answer his question, Jesse slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be some sort of pocketknife. Eyes widening in fear as Jesse brought the knife up and held it to his throat, Jaden looked over at Yubel horrified.

"What are you doing Yubel? Stop it! He could kill himself!" he said turning back to Jesse who stared back at him with those dull green eyes. Yubel chuckled at this and she looked over at Jaden and grinned.

"That's the idea. With Jesse out of the way, there will only be room for me in your heart Jaden and we can finally be together just like you were younger. Now…I must admit that I really do pity the poor boy seeing as how he was abandoned by you just like I was and I might be generous and spare his life…on one condition." Jaden frowned.

"And what is that?" Yubel grinned a wicked grin then and chuckled.

"Why…you duel me of course. If you win, Jesse's life will be spared and I will leave quietly but if _I _win then you will be mine forever and Jesse…dies."

To be continued…

A/N: Hey guys. Sorry it took forever for me to update this chapter but I lost two grandparents over the span of one month and things have been really hard. But I'm slowly getting back into my stories and should have updates on a regular basis. Thanks again to all of you who reviewed and I hope this chapter was worth the wait


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